Santanch¨ Says Not Resigning Amid Legal Challenges

Jeddah: Tourism Minister Daniela Santanch¨ affirmed on Monday her decision not to resign, as she arrived at the Italy Village in Jeddah. “I am not resigning and I am moving forward,” stated the minister.

According to Ansa News Agency, Santanch¨ was in the Saudi port city for the inauguration of the Italy Village, a traveling exhibition accompanying the global tour of the Italian Navy’s training vessel Amerigo Vespucci. This visit marked the vessel’s first docking at a Saudi port in its 93-year history. Defence Minister Guido Crosetto, also present in Jeddah, commented that the matter of Santanch¨’s potential resignation “needs to be dealt with by the premier and Santanch¨, especially by Santanch¨.”

On Friday, Santanch¨ dismissed claims that she had been asked to resign following her indictment for alleged false accounting at her former publishing company Visibilia. A 63-year-old lawmaker in Premier Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing Brothers of Italy (FdI) party, Santanch¨ had previously resigned from her roles in Visibilia before becoming minister in 2022. She has denied any wrongdoing.

Earlier this month, Santanch¨ was among 17 individuals indicted over alleged false corporate communications, including her partner Dimitri Kunz and her sister Fiorella Garnero. Prosecutors allege that from 2016 to 2022, the company’s balance sheets were manipulated to conceal millions of euros in losses, allowing the company to continue operating.

The trial is set to commence in March and may lead to further legal proceedings related to the minister’s business activities. Santanch¨ has already survived a Senate no-confidence motion over accusations that her former business failed to pay suppliers, dismissed workers without redundancy payments, and improperly received COVID aid.